Author: Courtney Miller

¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:14 (NLT)

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MAKING DISCIPLES

 

In this passage, the days leading up to his death, Jesus tells the disciples that before the end comes, the Good News will be spread to the whole world. Later, after his crucifixion and resurrection, he tells them again in the Great Commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” It was one of the last messages he gave to them before his crucifixion, and his very first message to them after his resurrection. It holds great significance to the calling of Believers. If we aren’t spreading the Good News and making disciples, we are not following the mission He has set before us.

 

So how do we become a disciple maker? At the heart of a disciple is a desire to be more like Christ. And if you haven’t heard it enough this week, the more time we spend with Him, the more we desire to be like Him and know Him more. It’s not surprising that the word disciple and discipline come from the same Latin root word. Becoming a true disciple takes devotion and discipline. It means sacrificing some time and maybe even some sleep. But even the busiest of us have the capability of doing it.

In his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard writes, “Of course, attitudes that define the disciple cannot be realized today by leaving family and business to accompany Jesus on his travels about the countryside. But discipleship can be made concrete by loving our enemies, blessing those who curse us, walking the second mile with an oppressor—in general, living out the gracious inward transformations of faith, hope, and love. Such acts—carried out by the disciplined person with manifest grace, peace, and joy—make discipleship no less tangible and shocking today than were those desertions of long ago.”

We don’t have to make discipleship difficult. Some of you may be called to greater discipleship like leading a small group, being  a mentor, going on mission, becoming a missionary; but others of you can be disciples in your own homes and neighborhoods. In fact, the season of life my family is in, my biggest discipleship is to my children—and sometimes that simply looks like saying sorry to my kids, wiping snotty noses, praying with and over them, and showering them with grace. You may even find me outside praying over my kids with my eyes wide open as I watch them jump in the pool this summer. My deeper walk with Jesus and growing into a greater disciple doesn’t always have to look like me opening the Bible in a silent room. It can look however my life needs it to in that season. It just requires some intentionality and discipline.

 

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. ¹⁰ And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 

¹² Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

Matthew 24:9-10, 12-13 (NLT)

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STANDING FIRM IN YOUR FAITH

 

We hear so many stories of persecution in other countries of those who stood firm in their faith, holding steadfastly to their belief in Jesus. Do you ever wonder what you would do in the same situation? In all honesty, sometimes I find myself wondering, “Would I be strong enough to face death or even torture?” I can only imagine the thoughts that would race through my head in such a moment like that. I’m willing to stand up to criticism and hate, but am I willing to go through persecution and death?

I think it’s an important question to wrestle with. And God is okay with our questions. The important part is how we follow the question. If you conclude that you’re unsure what you’d do, then I challenge you to dig deeper. An authentic faith is an enduring faith. I know my faith is authentic because I can look back at my testimony and see times in my life when I saw the Lord answer prayer in only a way He could. I’ve felt His presence in moments of worship or rest. I’ve seen Him move in the lives of my children. I’ve seen Him move in the lives of others. I’ve heard the testimonies of incredible miracles in the lives of others. I know without a doubt that the God I believe in is real, and I stand firmly on that even if from time to time I have moments of wondering.

 

Reflection:

Reflect on what the Lord has done in your life. What have you seen Him do in the lives of those around you? Reflect back to the moment you put your trust in the Lord for the first time—do you remember the emotions you felt?

 

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

⁴ Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁵ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

Matthew 24:4-5, 11 (NLT)

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LIVING A PRAYERFUL LIFE

 

Prayer is a powerful tool in our walk with Christ that brings great depth and authenticity to our relationship with God. A prayerful life often times seems to be the most difficult for Christians to grasp, especially those new to their journey with the Lord. We can find ourselves at a loss of what to say or even intimidated by the thought of it, especially when asked to pray out loud. Prayer can be so many things: praise, reflection, lamentation, petition, intercession, even just silencing our minds in His presence. In my opinion, one of the best ways to approach prayer is to view it as companionship with God. We are drawing our hearts closer to His in prayer- getting to know Him more as we share our hearts with Him. Prayer meets the needs of our souls.

 

When most of us think of prayer, we view it as a way to ask God for things; for instance, healing or direction. Don’t get me wrong- God WANTS us to bring our desires before Him! Even Jesus asked the Father for many things. BUT prayer includes so much more. When prayer becomes a lifestyle for us, it becomes a meeting of hearts- a rest found in His presence. Oswald Chambers says, “The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God.”

 

When we live a life filled with prayer, similarly to reading the Word, we understand who God is and what His voice sounds like more. We are less likely to be deceived by false teachings or false prophets when we have created intimacy with the Lord. Let us use prayer to become intimate with the Lord and fight against the deception that is to come.

 

Resources – Some of my favorite books on prayer and how to pray:

When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller

A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

⁴ Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁵ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

Matthew 24:4-5, 11 (NLT)

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STAYING IN THE WORD

 

One way of fighting the deception to come is by immersing yourself in the truth of the Holy Word of God. The more time we spend with someone, the better we know who they are. The more time we spend studying for a test, the better we understand the material. The same concept applies here. When we create the habit of rooting ourselves in the Word, we build up our character, becoming more and more like Christ. We understand Him more as we grow closer to Him and become more like Him. It will be easier to identify false prophets and false teachings because we will know and understand better the intricacies of who He is and how He works and what His voice sounds like.

 

The author E. Stanley Jones put it this way, “…we have to have the revelation of God through the Word. It is God interpreting himself to us. His interpretation of himself is Jesus. When you expose your thinking to him, you expose yourself to God.”

In my experience, the more I expose myself to God through His Word, the more my desire to continue the habit grows. As we learn more about our Creator through His Word, our desire to respond to what He has done for us grows. As we fall deeper in love with God, we spend more time meditating on Him. We don’t spend time studying His Word out of obligation. We do not read His Word out of the guilt that comes from not doing so, but out of the desire to know Him more.

 

Application:

What are some practical ways we can study God’s Word and expose ourselves to Him more? There are so many different methods of reading the Bible, digging deeper, and studying Scripture. One of my favorite ways is through my study Bible. It has Bible study notes, cross references, and even articles. These can help you dig in deeper to what you are reading. Another great way is to join a Bible study. Finding a great study on a specific book of the Bible is a phenomenal way to dig deeper into Scripture. There are also many methods to reading scripture like the SOAP method (S-Scripture O-Observation A- Application and P-Prayer). If you’re having trouble getting started, don’t be afraid to reach out!

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. ² But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

³ Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”

Matthew 24:1-3 (NLT)

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WE SERVE A GOD WHO WILL RETURN

 

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

 

As I sat in prayer this morning, the Lord kept bringing me back to this hymn familiar to my childhood. Blessed assurance- the hope we have found in salvation through Christ. The meaning in this hymn, as I interpret it, reminds us of what is promised to us. We are given assurance in our salvation. What a rich word! We are given assurance that we are heirs of God’s inheritance. It reminds us that we are to live in this hope and in expectation of His promises- that we are to delight in them and praise Him for them. We are to watch and wait –  looking above to Him, submitting to Him, and expecting His return.

 

Luke 21:27 says, “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Hebrews 9:28 tells us that Jesus “will appear a second time.” We see reference to His coming again in Revelation 1. And, of course, we see Jesus Himself speaking of His return in Matthew. These are prophecies not yet fulfilled but promised. How do we know that we can have assurance in these promises?

 

According to different scholars, the coming of Jesus and His time here on earth fulfilled somewhere around 300 prophecies foretold in the Old Testament. A prophecy is a God-given message or knowledge of a future event. What confidence that gives me, that a message straight from the mouth of Jesus Himself will surely be fulfilled. Therefore, we can have assurance in the great number of prophecies already fulfilled. Not only that, but many of us can look at our own lives, or the testimonies of those we know, to have assurance of the promises of God. So many times in my life, the Lord has graciously fulfilled promises, though not always in the way I expected. Most notably to me, would be through my children.

I dreamed of being a mother as a child. It was then, and is still, one of the greatest passions of my life. When my husband and I married, we immediately wanted children. Little did I know that this passion and promise the Lord had placed on my life would be such a journey. I clung to Luke 1:45 throughout my infertility journey, “And blessed is she who believes that the Lord will fulfill His promises to her.” It took time, but I began to understand that even if that promise didn’t look exactly how I pictured it with children in my home, that somehow the Lord WOULD fulfill that promise. Here we are 11 years later with two children and a third due in just over a month. Our journey even to this third has not been easy, but I know with great confidence that the Lord DOES indeed fulfill His promises. And I look ahead with great expectation to the return of my Lord and Savior!

Reflection: Reflect this morning on promises the Lord has fulfilled in your life or someone near to you. Thank the Lord that we are given assurance in our salvation and what He did on the cross for us.

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15:25-32 (NLT)

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THE PERFECT OLDER BROTHER

 

The older brother in the gospel of Luke is far from perfect. As mentioned earlier this week, we see that he, too, is blinded by the desire for wealth and standing through commitment to extreme morality. But when we look at the whole gospel, we realize the reason our Heavenly Father is able to welcome us home is because of the Perfect Older Brother that He sent down to us. The grace God freely gives us came with a cost.

The prodigal son’s grace from his earthly father came at a cost to his older brother as well. It cost him much of the wealth he would have received had his younger brother waited, as was tradition, until the father passed. Now the older brother in the story would receive even less than the younger son had squandered upon his return and welcoming back into the family and back into the blessing of his inheritance. This older brother was unwilling to join in his father’s celebration.

Our true older brother in Christ not only shares in the celebration of our return, but is the reason we are able to be welcomed home with grace freely given. He paid the cost of this return with His life. We cannot return to the Father by ourselves. The Son of God was born into this world to die for us that we may be given this free grace.

I think it’s important to remember that both the younger brother and the older brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son needed this same grace. The younger brother comes home and must repent of his past. But the older brother must realize that his moral goodness does not make him righteous for his father’s blessing. We see the full picture in this parable of why a Savior is necessary. As we come into the season of Christmas where we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I challenge you to dig into which brother you might relate more to. Begin challenging your thinking as it relates to this story. May you remember not only the grace you are FREELY given, but also the price that was paid for it. Let us rejoice in this holiday season for a Heavenly Father who RUNS to us through the gift of His Son. 

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Luke 15:20-24 (NLT)

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THE GOD WHO WELCOMES US HOME

 

Arguably the most powerful moment in the parable of the Prodigal Son is the moment when the father runs to his son. The younger son has not only disgraced himself, but through his actions has essentially deemed his father worthless to him (except for his money). Rich Villodas, an author and pastor posted, “In the gospel of Luke, the prodigal son doesn’t return home because of a renewed love for his father. He comes back home simply to survive because he ran out of money and is starving. And his father is perfectly fine with that! Just come home. God just wants you home.” He is longing for us to return. He is actively running after us just like the father in the parable.

              The younger son realized he had nothing left, and unless he returned home, he would not find sustenance. But we find that God’s grace is free for us no matter what we have done. Our relationship with the Lord is not transactional. I have nothing to give the Lord, but He has everything to give me. His love for us restores our position (that never disappeared) in the Home He has for us. Not only are we welcomed home, but our homecoming is celebrated.

We see in this story that even when our return home is simply to survive, before our lives are even cleaned up or our hearts are even changed, our Heavenly Father is ready for us. He wants us to find our way Home. It is where we find our purpose, our meaning, and our value. May you see the great, amazing, unbelievable love the Father has for you and rest in that today! Remember that no matter what your journey has looked like, the Father welcomes you with open arms.

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

Luke 15:25-30 (NLT)

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ELDER BROTHER LIVING

Have you ever thought about the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son? I think often we read the story and move quickly past the significance he carries in the story Jesus is telling. Timothy Keller does an excellent job of breaking down the role of the elder brother in his book The Prodigal God. 

In my early years of college, this book opened my eyes to how easy it is for me to fall into performance-based thinking. Performance-based thinking is the idea that I can do something to earn God’s love or that God’s love for me is measured by what I do. The Bible explicitly contradicts that thought. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it reads, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”

              In his book, Keller points out that the elder son is just as alienated from the father as is the prodigal, younger son. It is his self-righteousness (just like that of the pharisees Jesus is telling the parable to) that is keeping him from sharing in the feast. The elder brother, too, was more concerned with the father’s wealth than the father himself, and he didn’t even realize it! He was totally blind to his own sin. He was too focused on following the moral path.

              Sometimes we fall into the thinking that it’s only when I “do my daily quiet time,” “go to church,” “fill in the blank” that the Lord is delighted in me. This thinking lends me to the deeper thought that there is actually something I can do to earn the Lord’s delight in me. His delight in me has already been freely given! In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us into true rest by simply walking with Him. Our obedience does not get us anything. As Keller points out, our obedience is simply to love Him, resemble Him, know Him, and delight in Him.

              Remember, before knowing Christ, we were once sinners. After receiving and trusting in Him, we are now His righteous children. His Spirit is within us. We can rest in knowing that it is not up to us. We are forever His! May you remember to find your satisfaction in God alone and know that you are welcomed into His family by His grace alone.

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

¹² T

¹² When the younger told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die!’ his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there wasted all his money on parties and prostitutes. ¹⁴ About the time his money was gone a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. ¹⁶ The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the swine looked good to him. And no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough and to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”’

Luke 15:12-19 (NLT)

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THE PRODIGAL SON

 

In a world filled with temptation and sin, the prodigal son is a character Christians can relate to. The devil can grab a foothold in our lives quite easily. It may be in a significant and visible way, as in this parable, or it may be in ways that we can hide more easily like pride or greed. Either way, we have all left home at some point in our journeys. Your temptations may cost you everything – your “stuff”-  like it did for the prodigal son – or it may cost you your joy and satisfaction.

Sometimes temptation can come when we get bored – even in the good things. The prodigal son had a good life before he left his father’s house. He had permanence and provision and a father who clearly loved him. But temptation can lead us to wonder what else is out there. We become willing to step away from the goodness the Father has given us to test the waters of what the world tells us is waiting to bring us a “better life.” But all the world offers us is emptiness and shallow relationships. The easiness the world offers is deceitful. 

How can you combat this temptation? Do you have a heart of gratitude? Are you thankful for what the Lord has given you? Are you giving Him daily thanks? The things of this world will fade. 1 John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” When you find yourself wondering about what the world has to offer, you aren’t celebrating the goodness of the Lord. You begin to find your satisfaction in the things of this world instead. When you can find gratitude in the Lord, you can begin to let go of the temptations more easily.

God provides us deep and meaningful relationship. One of my Fellowship of Christian Athletes coaches in high school used to always ask, “How’s your heart?” He wasn’t looking for the typical teenage response of “good.” I’ve never forgotten that question and the depth of thought it provoked. This is the type of relationship we find in the Lord. One that fully satisfies. It will not betray us.

The parable of the prodigal son begs the question, “When life falls apart, what is left?” The prodigal son found that it was the freely given grace and love of his father. We were made by God for relationship with Him. The stuff of this world will never satisfy. In Acts 17, Paul states that in God we find our life and our breath and everything else. Paul reminds us that the Lord is not far from any of us. In fact, he is always with us and always seeking us. Let us find satisfaction in Him and gratitude in what He has given us.

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.

Luke 15:12-13 (NLT)

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THE NEED TO ESCAPE

 

Have you ever felt the need to escape? Maybe coming up on the holidays you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or overworked. You’re just ready to get out of the office, out of the house or just out of the current rhythm of your everyday life. I think we all have these seasons, but I encourage you to dig deeper into the reason you’re feeling this way.

Maybe it’s just a healthy need for more work/ life balance.  This is important! God wants us to have rest. He literally shows us what that looks like in Genesis! Sabbath is good, important, and necessary.  Spending time away from everyday life can be healthy for gaining fresh perspective, renewed energy, and God-given inspiration.

But we need to be careful when we find ourselves looking to escape because a lack of reliance on God. Have we failed to trust His plan? Have we avoided spending time with Him, finding rest each day in His presence? Are we leaving Home because we are choosing to follow our own path instead of God’s for our life?

When the Prodigal Son left home, he was wanting his father’s things (his inheritance), but not his father. The relationship between the son and his father was just a means to an end of the son getting what he wanted at that moment (instant gratification). And now he was ready to stray far from home.

The parable of the Prodigal Son could be a more extreme example of escape than what you have experienced in your life, but we all have choices in our lives where we must decide: are we going to follow God’s path, or is the path we can create for ourselves better? Choosing our own path is a tougher, more tiresome road. We will find exhaustion and that “need to escape” much more often.

When we choose to follow the path God has set for us, we can find rest and fulfillment in Him and in knowing that our satisfaction is found in Him alone. We will never find satisfaction apart from God. In fact, the more time we spend with the Lord reading His Word, praying, and digging deeper, the more satisfaction we will find and we’ll see the path before us more clearly.

Our ultimate escape will one day be the plan that God has perfected, the return of Christ– when the world is restored to how God created it to be. Our longing for escape will be satisfied completely. May you find a great desire to be present, find rest, and follow the path God has set forth for you. And may your time that you spend escaping everyday life be filled with healthy rest in the Lord!

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Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way.